Damper action for grand pianos



Feb. 10, 1931. F. MOSER 1,791,632

DAIPER ACTION roa qgmm PIANOS Filed Aug..=- 25, 1927 Patented Feb. 10,1931 PATENT OFFICE FELIX MOSER, OF HOLLAND, MICHIGAN DAMPER ACTION FOBGRAND PIANOS Application filed August 25, I927. Serial No. 215,415.

The object of the invention is to make a damper action at greatlyreduced cost without impairing its efliciency.

This damper action has no bushed bearings except on the support rail.The usual damper lever is discarded and a spring takes its place. Itsdamper lifter flange is also done away with, the damper block taking itsplace.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional detail showing the damper actionwith the parts in normal position with the key at rest. The dotted linesshow the dam er action when the key is pressed down, 1i ting thedampers.

Fig. 2, is a fractional front view of 3 units in the direction of arrowA of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a. view from above in the direction of arrow B ofFig. 1.

The key 1 normally rests upon the backrail keycloth 2. Its contact withthe damper is felted 3.

The spring rail 4 takes the place of the damper lever rail, resting on abase rail 5. A metal spring 6 takes the place of the usual 2 damperlever and is fastened onto the spring rail 4 by a screw. The edge of thespring rail 4 is felted, to avoid rattles. The forward end of the spring6 is bent at about ninty degrees and is screwed to the damper block 7,

which is felted 8 where it comes in contact with the spring 6. Thedamper block 7 which takes the place of the damper lift flange, has theusual means for fastening the damper wire 9 by a screw 10. The damperwire 9 passes through the support rail 11 to the damper head 12, whichis fastened to it.

When the key 1 is played, it will lift the damper 12 clear off thestring 19 and will fall with the release of the key 1, the spring 6 4aiding in damping the string 19.

The long pedal rod 13 extends upward through the keybed and the baserail 5, engages the lift rail 14, which is felted on both edges, raisinsaid liftrail 14 the required height, there y raising all the dampers 12at one time.

The lift rail 14 is secured to the spring rail 4. A felted sto rail 17is fastened to the edge of the back ar 18 to safeguard against raisingthe dampers too high.

I claim:

1. In a damper action for grand pianos, in combination with a piano keyand a lift-rail operated by a pedal, a horizontally disposed flexibledamper lever preferably of thin meta1, one end of which being fastenedto the edge of a rail generally known as the damper lever rail b ascrew, the other or forward end of said damper lever being screwed to ablock which is equipped with means to hold damper wire onto which thedamperhead is fastened, said damperhead being disposed to he liftedmanually by a key having contact with the damper ever directly under thedamperblock, or by a lift-rail operated bya pedal, the flexibility ofthe damper lever causing the damper to drop with sufficient precisenessto damp the strings instantly.

2. In a damper action for grand pianos, in combination with a piano keyand a lift-rail operated by a pedal, a. horizontally disposed, fiat andflexible spring, preferably of metal, one end of which is fastened tothe damperlever rail by a screw, the other end of said spring beingfastened to a a damper-blocs equipped with means to hold the damperwireonto which the damper is fastened, said spring being lifted at itsforward end and directly under the damperblock by a manual piano key orby a lift-rail operated by a pedal, 30 thus lifting the damper, theflexibility of the spring returning the damper to the strings theinstant the key or the pedal respectively is released.

Holland, Michigan, Aug. 22, 1927. 35

FELIX MOSER.

